


Beautiful Soul

by Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa)



Series: Eirlyssa's 2019 Bingo Fills [19]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Team as Family, Tony Stark Flash Bingo 2019, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, brief mention of child abuse, soul wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22050940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eirlyssa/pseuds/Iron_Eirlyssa
Summary: The wings are said to be an expression of one's soul, and the way they looked could be quite telling. So no one was surprised that Tony Stark never,evershowed his wings.But perhaps, as he grows closer to the other Avengers and starts trusting them, as a relationship with the former Winter Soldier develops, he might end up being willing to show them one of the most private parts of himself.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Avengers Team
Series: Eirlyssa's 2019 Bingo Fills [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1272110
Comments: 14
Kudos: 673
Collections: Avengers Team As Family, Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019





	Beautiful Soul

**Author's Note:**

> This story fills the following:  
> \- for the Tony Stark flash Bingo: 011 - “Family” - WinterIron - Teen+  
> \- and for the Bucky Barnes Bingo: Y1 - AU: Wings (which gives me a Bingo, just in time!!)  
> I hope you all enjoy!!

There were a lot of theories flying around about the wings. One of the most prominent, despite the lack of scientific proof, was that human bodies had become unable to contain the soul, making it manifest in wings.

Tony was a bit skeptical towards this theory, in part because he’d managed to keep his wings to himself just fine since the moment his father’s hand cracked across his face and one of his wings had cracked behind him when he was three years old. It wasn’t necessarily healthy, of course, and Rhodey at least had often worried about it and about him, but it worked.

No matter how many times he saw people with their wings out, however, he simply couldn’t bring himself to. He was well-aware of what people thought his wings would look like - tiny, withered things hardly worth being called wings - and, well…

Let’s just say that if his wings looked the way Tony himself felt, there wasn’t much to show there.

So he went through life with his wings kept inside himself, for no one else to see. Even with those he was close to, he couldn’t let go and show them. He knew it hurt Pepper that he wouldn’t show her his soul, the way she did to him, but he just… He felt broken, and he knew his wings would reflect that, and he couldn’t handle whatever came after.

Initially, the Avengers were the same. Thor didn’t have them the way humans did, but all of the others… Natasha and Clint were used to keeping things close to the chest, and Steve had grown up in a time where showing your wings was something very private, something done only with your family and closest friends. And Tony knew Bruce was hesitant to let go in any way after the Hulk, knew he expected his wings to be as monstrous as he thought his other identity was.

As time went on and they all grew closer, occasionally the others were willing to let go, to let their wings be free. Natasha and Clint’s looked very similar. Not the biggest, and a bit darker than average, but not the horror show Tony expected his own to be. Steve’s were _huge_ , the second largest Tony had ever seen, and at first glance it would be easy to believe that he was doing just fine. But Tony could see the way they dulled a bit, the way they grew just a fraction smaller, and he guessed Steve still felt lost in this new time.

Even Bruce eventually showed his wings to them, and it was clear to see that he was by far the most surprised to see they were actually _normal_. He confessed later that they’d actually grown a little since the accident that had caused the Hulk.

From then on, it wasn’t unusual to see their wings out occasionally. He would have liked to say they wondered why he never let his out, but there was only a wry understanding that he knew meant they expected the same everyone else did, the same he himself did. No one asked for him to show his wings.

The fall of SHIELD changed a lot of things. Natasha stopped showing her wings for a while, and Clint’s were obviously darker and smaller. Steve’s looked off as well, though it was offset by the fact that he’d managed to find Bucky again, as well as a new friend in Sam Wilson.

Except Bucky, after spending years in the hands of HYDRA, needed therapy. And finally, after years of semi-subtle prodding from a worried Tony, that was what convinced Steve to get some therapy as well. It was the best way to show his friend that there was nothing to fear, after all, and now Tony had an ally in Sam when it came to getting Steve a bit more settled.

A new normal started to develop, one where Steve’s wings slowly started going back to a healthy state. Clint and Natasha, too, were starting to look better again and showing their wings more often. Sam’s wings were healthy - not quite as big as Steve’s, but then again, Rhodey’s were the only wings Tony had ever seen that were actually bigger than Steve’s.

Only Bucky kept his wings private, and from the way Steve looked at him occasionally, Tony suspected he hadn’t even shown them to his closest friend.

Still, Bucky did start to recover slowly, spending time finding himself and what he liked to do. And somehow, without Tony really noticing, the two of them ended up spending more and more time together. Because with restoring his sense of self, Bucky had started realizing that one of the things he had always been most interested in was technology, was the _future_. Which, of course, led him straight to Tony.

It was also why, after his therapist and Steve, Tony was the first to actually see Bucky’s wings. The former Winter Soldier explained that he and his therapist had been working on a lot of things, including the shame he felt for his wings. Slowly starting to show them around people that he trusted, and realizing that they wouldn’t judge him for it, would only help with his recovery.

Swallowing, Tony nodded. He wouldn’t judge anyone’s wings, Bucky’s least of all.

Not to mention he didn’t have much room to judge, anyway.

Which was how he also got to see Bucky’s wings sometimes, got to see the way they slowly started lightening, growing, _healing_. He was honored that Bucky would trust him with something like that, something so personal.

In the end, it was what made him realize that he was falling in love.

The realization almost made him panic. Except then he looked at Bucky, whose healing wings were extended behind him as he worked on the motorcycle that Tony had gotten him, and he must have felt Tony’s gaze because he looked up and _smiled_ at him, and Tony was lost.

None of the others appeared surprised that the two of them ended up in a relationship. And, despite what Tony had initially been afraid of, they didn’t even appear to disapprove.

For the first time in _years_ , Tony started wondering about his own wings. What they would look like, and whether the others might even be alright with them. Because as they’d lived together for longer, they’d appeared less reluctant around him, less like they were tolerating him and more like they were accepting him, flaws and all. They’d become less of a thrown-together mess and more of a family.

Despite wondering, it still took him time. He noticed the others sometimes watched him with curiosity, but they never asked or pushed.

It ended up being an evening they were all spending time together. Tony and Bucky were cuddled up together, as were Thor and Bruce, Natasha and Clint, and Steve and Sam. Even with the pairing, many of them were touching the others - Bucky’s legs were splayed over Steve and Sam’s laps, Clint was leaning against Thor, and Bruce and Natasha’s legs were intertwined on their laps.

Cozily together, they ended up talking about things that bothered them. And while Tony mostly listened, he was considering releasing his wings. He was slowly starting to feel better, marginally less broken, and while he had no illusions that his wings would be admirable in any way, at least there might be _something_ about them that wouldn’t make people look away in horror.

Of course, they all ended up being supportive when he hesitantly mentioned the idea. And it wasn’t easy - he hadn’t shown his wings to a single soul in about forty years, including himself.

Still, they were patient with him, kind and understanding and telling him not to worry about it.

He had only a short moment to wonder if he’d even be able to release them at all, standing in front of them, before his wings almost _burst_ out of him. Tony was too scared to look, at his wings and at the other Avengers both.

And then there was a touch, so gentle he almost didn’t feel it, and Bucky was standing in front of him with tears and empathy in his eyes. He chanced a quick look at the others, taking in their surprise and astonishment and sadness, and he knew it wasn’t good. Knew that, despite the fact that they were slowly starting to get better, his wings were still horrifying to look at.

Did he… Did he even have wings?

His first instinct was to pull them back in, to run out of the room and out of the Tower and avoid the rest of them forever. But it had been so long, and he couldn’t help but glance back.

Only to freeze.

They were… They looked _awful_ , no other way about it. Broken and cut and scarred, there was hardly any part of them that didn’t look injured. But they weren’t… He’d expected them to be black, but there was a faint white glow shining through instead. And the size…

When he looked back at the others, the sadness was still there. But now the surprise had passed, there were also proud, encouraging smiles. Because where Tony might have expected his wings to be tiny stubs not worthy of being called wings, showing off how truly _bad_ he was, instead they stretched and stretched and _stretched_.

Utterly bewildered, Tony looked up at Bucky, who smiled gently down at him. Love and admiration shone in Bucky’s eyes, and it felt like a warm hug enveloping him. His wings rustled behind him, showing his delight for all to see.

“Beautiful,” Bucky whispered, and Tony…

Tony couldn’t help but start to believe him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed, and feel free to come check out my [Tumblr](https://eirlyssa.tumblr.com/) as well :)
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, for liking or even commenting on my stories. It's been an amazing year, and I'm so grateful to all of you for making this an amazing fandom experience. I hope to see you all again in 2020 and I wish you the best for the new year! 💙


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